"The fact that you come from a war-ridden country doesn't make you right" - Tennis fans react to "non-humans'' comment by Lesia Tsurenko's coach

Fans on social media have reacted strongly to comments made by Lesia Tsurenko's coach, Nikita Vlasov, wherein he declared all Russian and Belarusian players as &quot;non-humans,&quot; while also referring to them as &quot;biomass that lack any humanity.&quot;Vlasov, who made the comments during an interview on the YouTube channel Peregovorka, also chose to point out that while Daria Kasatkina was brave enough to come out as a lesbian, the Russian tennis star failed to condemn Putin and the Russian army.Social media users have by and large called for the Ukrainian coach to be banned for spreading hate against players of Russian and Belarusian descent.&quot;Tsurenko's coach Vlasov: &quot;All RUS and BLR players are non-humans. All of them. They are biomass that lack any humanity.&quot; &quot;Kasatkina was brave enough to come out as a lesbian but not brave enough [to condemn Putin and RUS army].&quot; Steve Simon is an &quot;incentivized idiot.&quot;Oleg S.@AnnaK_4everTsurenko's coach Vlasov:&quot;All RUS and BLR players are non-humans. All of them. They are biomass that lack any humanity.&quot;&quot;Kasatkina was brave enough to come out as a lesbian but not brave enough [to condemn Putin and RUS army].&quot;Steve Simon is an &quot;incentivized idiot.&quot;556Tsurenko's coach Vlasov:&quot;All RUS and BLR players are non-humans. All of them. They are biomass that lack any humanity.&quot;&quot;Kasatkina was brave enough to come out as a lesbian but not brave enough [to condemn Putin and RUS army].&quot;Steve Simon is an &quot;incentivized idiot.&quot;The reference to Steve Simon comes in the backdrop of the alleged comments of the WTA CEO with regard to the Russia-Ukraine war, which resulted in Tsurenko undergoing a panic attack and withdrawing ahead of her 2023 Indian Wells encounter against Aryna Sabalenka.&quot;I mean this just proves that the fact you come from a war-ridden country doesn’t make you right or a good person. This statement is far worse than anything any of the RUS/BEL have ever said or failed to say. It’s close to being fully facist,&quot; a fan tweeted.Ivana Simeonova@IvanaSimeonova2@AnnaK_4ever I mean this just proves that the fact you come from a war-ridden country doesn’t make you right or a good person. This statement is far worse than anything any of the RUS/BEL have ever said or failed to say. It’s close to being fully facist 🤯1@AnnaK_4ever I mean this just proves that the fact you come from a war-ridden country doesn’t make you right or a good person. This statement is far worse than anything any of the RUS/BEL have ever said or failed to say. It’s close to being fully facist 🤯&quot;Hateful person, just like his player. I feel for everyone affected by the war, but this hate against all Russians and Belarusians is not fair. Better use sport to show commitment for peace and common sense, not as a way to punish people because the place of their birth,&quot; a user wrote.Cristina Ionita@DaturaArborea@AnnaK_4ever Hateful person, just like his player. I feel for everyone affected by the war, but this hate against all Russians and Belarusians is not fair. Better use sport to show commitment for peace and common sense, not as a way to punish people because the place of their birth.542@AnnaK_4ever Hateful person, just like his player. I feel for everyone affected by the war, but this hate against all Russians and Belarusians is not fair. Better use sport to show commitment for peace and common sense, not as a way to punish people because the place of their birth.Several other tennis fans have also not shied away from voicing their resentment against Vlasov.Here are some of those tweets:Mia@mementoo_vivere@AnnaK_4ever He should be banned from the tour. This is pure hate speech, he shouldn't be allowed on the tour, the tournaments...No player or the member of their team should be allowed to behave like this. If WTA doesn't do something...823@AnnaK_4ever He should be banned from the tour. This is pure hate speech, he shouldn't be allowed on the tour, the tournaments...No player or the member of their team should be allowed to behave like this. If WTA doesn't do something...Jen✨@jenpr17@AnnaK_4ever Way more violent than Russian and Belarusian players being athletes (if that could be a thing??), that's just not acceptable and a shame for tennis to accept him on circuit.5@AnnaK_4ever Way more violent than Russian and Belarusian players being athletes (if that could be a thing??), that's just not acceptable and a shame for tennis to accept him on circuit.Duncan Gacheru@dangacheru@AnnaK_4ever This is now going too far.61@AnnaK_4ever This is now going too far.ortolan@letranger94@AnnaK_4ever Disgusting homophobe. And he is brave enough to harass Russian and Belarusian women, but not brave enough to fight for his country? When my country was at war, no one was looked down upon more than deserters. 🤮🤮🤮Deserters, women harassers and homophobes are non-human IMO.4@AnnaK_4ever Disgusting homophobe. And he is brave enough to harass Russian and Belarusian women, but not brave enough to fight for his country? When my country was at war, no one was looked down upon more than deserters. 🤮🤮🤮Deserters, women harassers and homophobes are non-human IMO.Thasneem@Thasnee2000@AnnaK_4ever I think it is the Russian athletes that now need protection. This is crazy !@AnnaK_4ever I think it is the Russian athletes that now need protection. This is crazy !Ankur kotoky@NiralaBuragoha2@AnnaK_4ever This guy needs to be banned13@AnnaK_4ever This guy needs to be bannedLesia Tsurenko's French Open campaign ended in a mid-match retirement against eventual champion Iga SwiatakLesia Tsurenko in action against Iga SwiatekLesia Tsurenko began her 2023 Roland Garros campaign in style with a 6-2, 6-4 win over thirteenth seed and 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.The 34-year-old took the first set 6-3 and was up 1-0 in the second when Lauren Davis had to retire owing to an injury in the second round.A thumping 6-1, 6-1 triumph against 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu was just what she needed before her fourth-round encounter against World No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek.Lesia Tsurenko had asserted that she was &quot;excited&quot; to play the Pole after getting through her third-round encounter in just an hour.&quot;The next match is one of hte biggest challenges on the tour right now. She is No. 1. She is a clay-court speclialist. I just had a match against her (at the Italian Open which ended 6-2, 6-0 in favour of the 22-year-old). It wasn't really good - it was good but Iga is too good you know. But, I am really excited to play against her because It's a good challenge,&quot; she had stated.Trailing 1-5 in the first set, Lesia Tsurenko opted to retire from her match against Swiatek, thus ending her 2023 French Open campaign. She had been bageled by Swiatek in the first round of the Paris Grand Slam last year, going down 6-2, 6-0.

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